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These Chocolate Orange Brownies are full of festive orange zest and rich chocolate flavors. They are made with almond flour and tapioca flour and are Paleo, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Grain-free.
Chocolate and orange is one of my favorite holiday flavor combinations. I love the way that the orange zest breaks through and compliments the flavor of the chocolate when the two are combined.
I actually saw a chocolate orange ball at the grocery store and thought about how yummy that sounded.
Then I thought, how great would that flavor be in brownie form?! And then these orange chocolate brownies were born. They are naturally Paleo, Gluten-free, Grain-free, and Dairy-free.
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works:
- You get all the deliciousness of chocolate orange flavor but in brownie form!
- They are very fudgy!
- You only need 10 ingredients.
- This recipe is allergy friendly. It is dairy-free, gluten-free and grain-free.
- These paleo brownies have a higher protein content thanks to the almond flour.
Recipe Ingredients
- olive oil– I like to use light olive oil because the flavor is lighter.
- coconut sugar– this adds sweetness but with a lower glycemic index than regular sugar.
- eggs– these help bind the brownies together.
- vanilla– add a nice flavor.
- almond flour– blanched almond flour is best for baking.
- tapioca flour– this helps give a good texture to the brownies. You can use arrowroot powder at a 1:1 ratio.
- cocoa powder– make sure it is unsweetened because the coconut sugar in this recipe adds enough sweetness.
- orange zest– You’ll need about 2 oranges to get the right amount of zest needed.
- dairy-free chocolate chips
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Zest your oranges. Make sure to use a citrus grater to grate them. I used this Deiss citrus grater and it worked so well.
Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients together. This includes mixing the olive oil and coconut sugar together and then later adding the vanilla, orange zest and eggs.
Step 3: Mix the dry ingredients together. This includes the almond flour, tapioca flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
Step 4: Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix them together. Fold in some chocolate chips.
Step 5: Pour the batter into a pan and bake!
Expert tips
- Use a zester to zest the oranges. If you love the taste of orange, a fun idea would be to add some candied orange peels to these brownies.
- When it is time to take the brownies out of the oven, they will appear to be wet in the center, but they probably aren’t. If you lightly touch the top of the brownies, you’ll notice that your finger will still be dry.
- Once you take the brownies out, then let them cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before cutting them. This makes them easier to cut. It will be a bit messy if you don’t wait.
Other brownie recipes you’ll love
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Chocolate Orange Brownies (Paleo, Gluten-free)
Equipment
- 1 citrus grater
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 Tbs orange zest, ( this was from 2 oranges for me) ( also make sure to use a grater)
- ¾ cup almond flour
- 3 Tbs tapioca flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- ¾ cup dairy-free dark chocolate chip morsels
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8 x 8 inch pan. (I like using olive oil spray).
- Add the olive oil and coconut sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with a hand-held mixer. Add the eggs, vanilla and orange zest to the bowl and beat for about 30 seconds, until everything is well mixed.
- In a separate bowl, mix the almond flour, tapioca flour, cocoa powder and salt with fork until mixed together. Pour the bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and mix with a fork until combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes. 22 minutes was perfect for me. The corners of the brownies will have pulled away from the edges a bit, while the center of the brownies will look wet. However, they actually will not be wet if you gently touch them. Wait 10-15 minutes before cutting up the brownies and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Orange and chocolate… the very best combo if you ask me. I love the texture of these brownies. They look so delicious, moist and so perfect.
You can never have one too many brownie recipes!